NCT

Different types of bone marrow stem cells give rise to blood and immune cells. A team led by Simon Haas now reports in “Nature Cell Biology” how that diversity develops. The findings could help improve stem cell therapies, including treatments for blood cancers.

Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, remains difficult to treat despite modern CAR T cell therapies. In “Molecular Therapy,” a team led by Armin Rehm presents an improved immunotherapy that recognizes two distinct features of malignant cells to destroy the cancer more effectively.

Captain T Cell, a biotechnology spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin, recently closed an equity financing round with both new and existing investors. It provides Captain T Cell with a total budget of EUR 20 million to develop next-generation T cell therapies for solid tumors.

Starting in 2027, Captain T Cell – a Max Delbrück Center biotech spin-off – will begin the first clinical trial of its TCR-T cell therapy. This has been made possible through funding from the National Center for Tumor Diseases and close collaboration with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

From 2024, the Federal Government and the State of Berlin will fund the establishment of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Berlin. The new site is a cooperation between DKFZ and Charité, BIH, and Max Delbrück Center aimed at closely integrating clinical and translational cancer research.